WASHINGTON – A number of years in the past, Jeff was working for a California financial institution that requested him to look into getting the enterprise listed on a web site known as PublicSquare.
The financial institution’s leaders had been massive supporters of Donald Trump, and PublicSquare was a great place to promote it: Its web site, which payments itself as “the anti-woke online marketplace,” is a hub of tens of hundreds of companies nationwide that need folks to know they align with MAGA views and oppose so-called “progressive priorities” like ladies’s reproductive rights and variety initiatives. To be able to listing your online business on the web site, you first have to substantiate that you’ll “respect the core values of PublicSquare” and agree to not “support causes that are in direct conflict with our core values.”
“For far too long, American consumers and business owners who cherish family values and God-given liberty have been overlooked by mainstream businesses,” the corporate’s web site states. “It’s time to embrace this community of customers and merchants by providing platforms, products, and services that enrich the way of life they hold dear.”
The corporate additionally acknowledges its objective of letting folks use their {dollars} as political and cultural leverage. “PublicSquare is on a mission to restore the culture through the power of commerce,” its web site says underneath a bit known as “Purpose with every purchase.” “This isn’t about boycotts, it’s about helping you switch to something better.”
As a client, PublicSquare’s web site is simple to make use of. You simply enter your ZIP code and it pulls up companies close to you that wish to be publicly related to Trump and his values. The corporate, which launched in 2022, has direct connections to Trump, too: Its board of administrators contains Donald Trump Jr., who is also an investor.
Kelly Loeffler, President Trump’s administrator of the Small Business Administration, additionally was on the board till she was confirmed to her present put up in February.
Jeff, who requested utilizing a pseudonym for this story out of considerations of being focused by Trump supporters in his group, doesn’t know if that financial institution joined PublicSquare. He quickly left that job and went on to launch a communications agency.
Quick-forward to February 2025, when Trump is again within the White Home and destroying nearly all the things he touches. He’s tanking the worldwide financial system. He’s hollowing out the federal authorities. It’s not hyperbole to say he’s pushing American democracy to its breaking level.
Jeff, an everyday consumer of the social media platform Reddit, began noticing folks in his San Diego group posting messages determined for tactics to struggle again towards Trump’s recklessness. Some known as for boycotting MAGA-friendly companies however didn’t know find out how to determine firms that assist Trump’s views. So Jeff, who had extensively researched PublicSquare at his earlier financial institution job, tossed in a be aware about it.
“MAGA has made it easy for all of us to avoid their businesses,” he wrote underneath his Reddit identify, Hour-Abbreviations18. “A couple years ago, they introduced a website – publicsq.com — to promote MAGA businesses. We can use that same tool to make informed purchasing decisions.”
“If a business is listed on the site, it’s not a fluke,” he wrote. “It’s on purpose.”
He bought a number of responses to his put up, so out of curiosity, Jeff searched Reddit for situations of individuals exterior of his local people who had been on the lookout for methods to keep away from pro-Trump companies. He minimize and pasted his spiel about PublicSquare into these threads, too.
His message took off, spreading to Reddit threads everywhere in the nation by folks wanting to do one thing — something — to reject Trump. Sarcastically, folks started discovering solace within the very factor PublicSquare affords its supporters: an opportunity to align your spending along with your values. Besides on this case, persons are utilizing PublicSquare to determine the place not to spend.
“Is there a list for 2025 so we can pass around to the worthy peace loving humans?” one Reddit consumer in Oregon requested in a February thread, “MAGA Businesses in Oregon to BOYCOTT.” Jeff tossed in his description of PublicSquare, and his put up bought “upvoted” 263 occasions, that means it bought pushed to the highest of the thread for extra folks to see.
Jeff pasted his put up into one other Reddit thread based mostly in Lengthy Seaside, California, titled, “MAGA Businesses to Avoid.” It was upvoted 65 occasions.
“My god I just found out my dog’s vet is on there,” one consumer wrote in response.
“THANK YOU FOR THIS LIST,” wrote one other consumer.
Jeff’s posts about PublicSquare, or offshoots of them, have popped up on Reddit in cities and cities in Illinois, Colorado, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Maine, North Carolina and in normal Reddit boards. The thought of utilizing PublicSquare for boycotts has gained consideration in native information tales. Final month, a TikTok consumer with 19,000 followers filmed himself describing PublicSquare and directing folks to its web site to search out MAGA-friendly companies to chop off. His video has gotten greater than 348,000 “likes.”
“PublicSquare is basically the Green Book, but for conservatives,” this TikTok consumer, who goes by dapper.delinquent, says in his video. “The Green Book was a book passed around Black communities that was a list of stores and businesses that were safe for Black People to use. PublicSquare is the same thing for conservatives.”
“It is a website that conservatives will register their business on to show they are anti-woke, pro-conservative and especially pro-life,” he says.
PublicSquare’s Fb web page
One other TikTok consumer posted an analogous message final month, calling PublicSquare the “anti-woke business finder” and saying he’s glad it exists so he is aware of the place to not store. “It just means that they do not care about our rights and they stand with Trump,” this consumer says in his video. His put up bought 32,000 “likes” and was shared 11,000 occasions.
Trump critics even have been speaking about PublicSquare on different platforms like Threads and on Fb, the place a gaggle known as The 50501 Motion organizes folks round Trump protests, rallies and boycotts. The group, which has 164,000 members, flagged PublicSquare for its followers final month.
“Helpful for deciding which small businesses to avoid!” reads a put up throughout the group.
Some folks have sought out PublicSquare’s personal Fb web page to allow them to know their website has been an enormous assist to folks wanting to do one thing to protest Trump’s insurance policies.
“After a local article was published, our community is using PublicSquare to see which businesses to avoid,” one consumer wrote in a remark on a PublicSquare put up earlier this month. “It’s like you’re helping the trash take itself out.”
“Vulgar INSURRECTIONISTS, Fascists and those who despise anything non-white, male and straight,” one other consumer posted this month on the corporate’s Fb web page. “You are the very same as the German Christians who worshipped Hitler.”
Phelan M. Ebenhack/Related Press
It’s not clear what monetary affect, if any, folks’s boycotts are having on the companies listed on PublicSquare, or on PublicSquare itself. The publicly traded firm, which is led by founder, CEO and president Michael Seifert, has seen its inventory worth plummet by greater than 50% for the reason that begin of the 12 months. Even earlier than Trump introduced his tariffs earlier this month, which have harm economies globally, PublicSquare was down by 12%.
The corporate seems to make its income by way of charges paid out by companies on its web site, together with “a commission per transaction.” Nonetheless, there’s no strategy to immediately hyperlink the corporate’s funds to folks actively utilizing the location to search out companies to cease supporting.
A PublicSquare spokesperson didn’t reply to requests for remark about folks utilizing their web site to search out companies to not patronize or concerning the firm’s monetary woes.
“The ability to make purchasing decisions that align with our values is one thing we can do.”
Jeff doesn’t presume he’s the one anti-Trump one who knew about this web site earlier than this 12 months, however mentioned he’s been blown away by how many individuals instructed him they’d by no means heard of it — and the way comfortable they’re to learn about it. Most individuals he’s engaged with mentioned they plan to make use of PublicSquare to verify they don’t give cash to Trump-aligned companies, however a couple of mentioned they wished to make use of the location as meant, to assist such firms.
“The vast majority of people said, ‘I had no idea. I can’t believe this or that business is on there. I’m never going there again,’” Jeff mentioned. “I’d say 90% of responses are of that ilk.”
He emphasised his efforts to unfold the phrase about PublicSquare aren’t about punishing companies however about serving to folks make knowledgeable choices.
“Right now, so many decisions are being made that affect our lives that are outside of our control, and many people feel helpless,” Jeff mentioned. “The ability to make purchasing decisions that align with our values is one thing we can do.”
That’s undoubtedly how Janet Koenig feels. The 62-year-old California resident just lately got here throughout certainly one of Jeff’s posts on Reddit, so she went to PublicSquare’s web site and entered her ZIP code. To her dismay, certainly one of her favourite espresso outlets got here up. She was horrified.
“I was like, you’ve got to be kidding me,” Koenig mentioned. “I just assumed they were one of the good guys. I’ll be sure to tell all my friends not to go.”
Now she recurrently checks PublicSquare earlier than shopping for merchandise. She’s additionally been sharing a hyperlink to its web site with as many individuals as she will, most of whom, like her, had no concept this firm existed and at the very least a few of whom plan to make use of it to verify they don’t inadvertently give cash to Trump-aligned companies. She mentioned she appears like her efforts might not be having a lot of an affect, however she feels a brand new sense of empowerment.
“I just feel like I have to do something. Because businesses now control our votes, you know?” Koenig mentioned. “I feel like, you know what, if they control our votes, I’ll do whatever I can do to only support the ones that vote the way I want. It’s about disgust, honestly. I’m disgusted by the way our votes can be bought by business.”
“I sleep well at night knowing I’m not accidentally donating to the bad guys,” she mentioned.
